Not surprised Andrew is so caring.....he's a real decent guy. Add the personal attention to the awesome curriculum is saying a lot. I'm glad to know how they helped you out. Thanks for sharing.:001_smile:

Yes they are EXPENSIVE. When our son wrestled, I tried also but never had any success in finding a good deal. I wish you luck.

Can't Wait!!

Ditto on the advice to TRY to talk to someone- even if you're the only one going. Many large churches have counseling ministries that charge on a sliding scale. Focus on the Family is a great place to call for references for Christian counselors - BTDT. I will be praying that you will be encouraged and that hope can be restored.

Putting distance between you and them is what I would do. Yes, showing them honor is important, too. But you don't have to be in their line of FIRE. Have you heard of the Boundaries books? http://www.amazon.com/Boundaries-When-Take-Control-Your/dp/B001AN8BAC/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262740334&sr=1-3 BPD is a possibility. I'd read up on that. We've got someone similar in our extended family. Distance, distance, distance........ Sorry you're having to deal with this. It's no fun.

So happy for you! Praise the Lord! He has plans for you!! "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a FUTURE and a HOPE." Jeremiah 29:11

So wonderful!! Your children were noticeable because of their great behaviour, I'm sure! It's happened to us a few times- one time because we gave thanks for our meal at a Ruby Tuesdays (!)- that's what they told us. You were an encouragement to them! Blessings on your day.

"Put "lessons" on hold for a few weeks. Give yourself a break. Read lots of books and give the kids lots of free time. The baby *is* the lesson. :D " :iagree: Where do you live? near Seattle? I'm familiar with plenty of churches and the REACH group - eventhough we live in VA now. I hope you will have a calm transition and make some new friends soon. Keep your expectations LOW - food, warmth, cheerfulness- and just enjoy your baby's first weeks. School can wait. I can't wait to read your birth story. You are amazing!! :001_smile:

We live about 45 min west of DC and my dh commutes by bus. It works out but it's a trade-off. We have acreage, space, privacy and wonderful neighbors. There are lots of homeschool groups all over northern VA. Check out heav.org for a list of them. Classical Conversations have many campuses around the area that you could hook up with. Check out their website and go to the VA homepage. classicalconversations.com Hope you find a great place to live! The history and museums around here are wonderful!

Sounds like she's pretty spoiled....... will she listen to an older woman? I'd question the pastor's leadership since he's letting her rule the roost. Something's not right here. And I'm not even addressing the breastfeeding issues....good grief! ...... she's got it all wrong there, too. You all have ministered to her enough with meals....time for her to grow up and fend for herself/ The elders or men in leadership should be talking to the pastor about the dynamics....at home and maybe in the church body, too.

Those are sweet, precious things.....I'd remember them, too. :001_smile:

To practice in your state, one would need to be licensed. To get the license, a practitioner needs to have a certain number of hours as an intern (under supervision of a licensed person) and pass the state exam- which would necessitate a degree. Insurance will pay in some cases but usually only to a licensed person. Some churches offer counseling by un-licensed people- who have usually had some kind of training. The church assumes any liability from the counseling relationship. Hope that is helpful.

We're enrolled in Ch A and do the Core Four- doing a different math at home. We did 3 years of Latin for Children, so it seemed pointless to have him repeat....in its place, our son is taking a Spanish class nearby that is phenomenal- our older kids all took it , too. I'm pretty convinced he'll do Ch B. Not sure I agree with the reading selections that CC has for Ch I.....so we'll wait and see. It's a matter of prayer already- what to do about high school? Overall- I like the program (I tutored 3 yrs in Foundations and have been impressed with the Challenge program.) and think it gives a great education. 3 of the students in our Ch A just take 2 of the seminars and then go sit with their moms for the rest of the morning in Foundations. It's pretty flexible.

I find it hard to have my dad- whom I love to pieces- here from the west coast for 10 days.....17 would put us all over the edge. One of the reason it's hard to change it now is because the 'tradition' has last so long...... but you can say what works for you and hold firm. Have you read the Boundaries books? Excellent for these kinds of issues. http://www.amazon.com/Boundaries-When-Take-Control-Your/dp/0310247454/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256678226&sr=1-1

But.....have you heard of the Boundaries books? They could be helpful. You don't need anyone's approval for your family size. You know what's best for YOU. http://www.amazon.com/Boundaries-When-Take-Control-Your/dp/0310247454/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256346088&sr=1-1

God intended for your sister to be free to enjoy and pursue her life- it is up to each of us to claim the freedom He offers. The replies you've gotten are right:- It is up to your sister to establish boundaries AND her husband needs to intervene. He needs to step up and protect his wife. Some husbands are chicken to do that and it sounds like his mom is strong-willed. Has she been a controlling personality most of his life? Not an unusual situation. But it can be remedied. :) I don't know if Amazon mails to Indonesia, but you could send these to her, if they don't. I can't tell you how highly I recommend these and how much they've helped me. Hope things get better for her. She's blessed to have a sis who loves her. The Mom Factor by Cloud and Townsend http://www.amazon.com/Mom-Factor-John-Townsend/dp/0310225590/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256050696&sr=1-1 Boundaries by Cloud and Townsend http://www.amazon.com/Boundaries-Participants-Guide%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%94Revised-When-Control/dp/0310278082/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256051008&sr=1-1

I haven't read all of your responses so I'll jump in w/o an awareness of other's opinions. I've been homeschooling for 23 years. I taught all 5 of our children to read using the Writing Road to Reading. It's also called the Spaulding method. It's intensive as it uses the 72 phonograms and teaches LOTS of rules and their exceptions. When I first heard and saw it, I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of the 72 sounds! Well, I learned them pretty quickly and so did my twins. I found the rules were so helpful and gave them a big foundation to attack unknown words and read smoothly, with comprehension. All other programs I have perused seem thin to me. I think the idea of 'sight' words comes from the idea of memorizing words and not having a 'code' with which to decipher them. I actually think it handicaps the learner. We've been involved with Classical Conversations now for about 5 years and I see that the author of their English program (Leigh Bortins) incorporates Mrs. Spaulding's phonograms. The drilling, memorizing and practicing fit nicely with the classical model, I think.

Lay means "to place something down." It is something you do to something else. It is a transitive verb - meaning that action transfers to something/someone. Lay the book on the table. (It is being done to something else.) Lie means "to recline" or "be placed." It does not act on anything or anyone else. It is an intransitive verb - meaning no action transfers. Lie down on the couch. (It is not being done to anything else.) The reason lay and lie are confusing is their past tenses. The past tense of lay is laid. The past tense of lie is lay. The reason I know this is because of all the drilling last year in our Essentials program with Classical Conversations. (Thank you, Leigh!)-Hope that's helpful. :001_smile:

Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

My boys have received an Eagle afghan, an Eagle stained glass window, a hatchet, a knife (like what SEALS use!- very popular gift), an Eagle sculpture, money and gift cards. You can get the Eagle Scout stuff on the Scout website: http://www.scoutstuff.org/BSASupply/SearchPage.aspx?page=LIST&free_text%7C=eagle%20gifts&answers_per_page=15&first_answer=1

"As a former-YP's wife I say he was OUT OF LINE. He shouldn't be forcing an opinion like that on you- what if he speaks to your dd about it and she gives you flack about hsing at home. I would speak to the YP or to the pastor. Whether they agree with your choice or not is a moot point." I SO agree with this. Not only did the YP show his ignorance- he is VERY DISRESPECTFUL. A YP should NOT undermine a parent or question their decisions. I would go directly to the senior pastor. That young man needs to learn a few things.

When a family (even extended) member has NPD (full-blown, at that!) the WHOLE family suffers. As me how I know. :glare::001_smile: